Here it is! Having been asked by a friend [now so far away] to explain why I'm supporting John McCain and Sarah Palin, I've provided this answer. [Please read this through before you attack me.]
Please note the following: I'm a college graduate having studied economics, statistics, and accounting. I'm a CPA with experience in numerous industries, especially small businesses. I've even worked in manufacturing as Controller. I was a Supply Officer in the US Navy, having gone through boot camp and Officer's Training. Now, I'm a writer. I've had a lot of business and personnel experience and the ability to see through bullshit.
Military
John McCain graduated from the US Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1958. As a flyer, he survived the devastating fire on the USS Forrestal in 1967. Later that year he was shot down over Hanoi, breaking bones when he landed in a lake. The North Vietnamese [NV] promptly treated his breaks poorly and sent him to the Hanoi Hilton. Later he went to a political prison where they broke more of his bones and tortured him trying to get military secrets from him. He didn't give anything more than the names of a football team's front line, so they gave him more torture.
In 1968, his father was given command of the US forces in and around Vietnam, so the NV offered him an early release as a propaganda move. He refused. He was further tortured. According to the Military Code of Conduct, prisoners should be released in order of capture, so he painfully saw it through to the end his POW prison term for his comrades. He was finally released in 1973.
After rehabilitation, he commanded a squadron out of Florida, and he retired as a Naval Captain in 1981. He was in prison at the same time I was in the Navy. I call my time 'endurance' because, although a Lieutenant, I thought I had been going through misery with necessary military restrictions in job and personal life. Little did I understand what misery really was. John McCain went through the real deal of misery and survived and succeeded. There's no need for anymore testing.
His actions putting Country first are hard---if not impossible---to top.
John McCain has never shirked from admitting his mistakes, taking the heat, and going on. He blamed himself for his failed first marriage, and he took the heat for his connection to the 'Keating Five' scandal. He was fully exonerated of any wrong doing for the latter---as repeated by Democrat counsel Bob Bennett---and only given the equivalent of 'naughty! naughty! He has nothing to be ashamed of there or anywhere.
Barack Obama has no military or command experience. [Heading his own campaign committee over the years is hardly valuable experience.] Nor has he ever been tested to prove his mettle at anything! I firmly believe that in the same situation that McCain faced, Obama would have capitulated early and begged for his release.
Further, Obama will not tell his whole history or take responsibility for his own actions. His past is shady with ongoing relationships with terrorists Bill Ayers and his wife Bernadine Dohrn, radical Father Phleger, and convicted Tony Rezco. He spent 20 years attending a church and listening to his mentor Reverend Jeremiah Wright spout his racist and anti American venom. Twenty years? And he only repudiated his latter relationship recently when it became politically expedient?
Washington
In 1977, while still in the Navy, McCain was given the position of Naval liaison to the Senate. In 1981, after retirement, McCain moved to Arizona with his family. In 1982, McCain ran for and was elected to the US House of Representatives, where he served two terms getting his political act in gear. He did not jump-start his campaign in the home of two terrorists.
At one point during his campaign, many questioners derided him as a 'carpetbagger' to Arizona. His answer to one of these chargers at a candidates' forum was swift and to the point.
'Listen, pal. I spent 22 years in the Navy. My father was in the Navy. My grandfather was in the Navy. We in the military service tend to move a lot. We have to live in all parts of the country, all parts of the world. I wish I could have had the luxury, like you, of growing up and living and spending my entire life in a nice place like the First District of Arizona, but I was doing other things. As a matter of fact, when I think about it now, the place I lived longest in my life was Hanoi.'
I like that answer and what it tells me about the man.
In 1986, he was elected to the Senate. All his re-elections came with 60% or more of the votes. As noted above, he was involved on the peripheral of the 'Keating Five' scandal, ultimately being CLEARED OF ALL WRONGDOING, though you'd never know it by the Obama campaign claims.
Among his later Senate accomplishments were bills to: announce to OPEC, oil produces, and oil speculators, that the US will be energy independent in the near future; a summer federal gas tax holiday from Memorial Day to Labor Day; move to repeal the 54 cent per gallon tax on imported sugar-based ethanol, thus reducing the need for corn and reducing food costs; roll back corn-based ethanol mandates to reduce the cost of food. Most of these and others died in the Democrat-run Senate. But his votes on conservative legislation were on target.
On the other hand, Obama's Senate record is certainly unimpressive. In his 143 days of actual service as a Senator, he sponsored or co-sponsored bills: to honor Pierre Julian [chemist], Rosa Parks [black], sickle cell research, Irene Sendler [albeit a strong social worker during the holocaust], Gilbert Patterson [black bishop], Carl Stokes [black mayor of Cleveland]; resolution for no use of force in Iran; designate National Learning Day and a Disability Pride Day; to suspend the duty on gibberillic acid---a potent plant hormone [found in most plants] that is normally used to promote early flowering and plant germination; to suspend duty on triphenyltin hydroxide---a substance used to control potato blight etc.; suspend duty on sebacic acid---a derivative of castor oil used in candle making; suspend duty on bromoxynil octonoate---toxic, imported from China, and I can't find anyplace willing to identify it's use; suspend the duty for RSD 1235---a drug under current study; suspend duty on N6 Benzyladenine, MCPB acid, MCPB sodium salt, 2-Methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacitic, metsulfluron-methyl, dichlorprop-p acid, and dichlorprop-p demethlyamine salt.
None of these sponsored bills made it into law.
I emphasize 143 days, because he was hardly ensconced at his Senate desk before he started running for President. Obama does this regularly. He goes for one position, then when in the new position he spends his time seeking a higher office. Do over 130 votes 'present' tell you about the decision-making ability of the candidate? And you can't deal with Iran, Russia, or Pakistan with a 'present' vote. And if he succeeds in his run for President, what job will he immediately seek after? Will he appoint himself to the Supreme Court? How about Secretary General of the UN. Obama certainly believes he has international appeal. Pope? A Demi-God? Zeus, call your office.
Tell me Rich, friends, have you ever come across a Presidential candidate with less experience or more socialist leanings or one who has little other than oratory to speak for him? [And those socialists like Eugene Debs never had a chance of winning an election.]
As a matter of fact, Obama sponsored a bill to congratulate the Chicago White Sox for the 2005 World Series victory, and he couldn't even get that through the process to the President.
When the economy was sending warning signals, McCain was in the forefront, along with the administration, in trying to raise the alarm to Congress and take action to correct the process and forestall problems. All attempts were rebuffed by Democrats Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, Maxine Waters and even Obama himself---top recipients of campaign contributions from Fannie and Freddie.
When the dam broke, McCain suspended his campaign and returned to Washington to work with Republicans on getting an emergency bill passed. Obama stayed on his campaign trail, making snide remarks from afar. They both signed on to the bill, something I would not have. So there's no difference there, except that McCain signed onto an emergency bill, and Obama signed on to a socialist leaning bill. It's all in the mind, n'est pas? At least McCain and the Republicans prevented Congress from sending millions to Acorn as part of the Democrats' proposed bill.
Campaign
McCain has stuck to his promise to accept taxpayer money for the campaign. Obama reneged on his written promise and declined taxpayer money, thus being able to raise some $600 million dollars [I admit he's a great orator, especially when you understand that he doesn't give any details when he talks] in an attempt to seal the Presidency by overwhelming his opponent. Can you imagine that? Huge sums to socialize the Country? How much of that is foreign or duplicate, no one will tell. And such an amount is only the tip of the iceberg [among billionaires] of efforts to fund the complete socializing of the Country---bit by bit.
John McCain has spent four years in the US House of Representatives and 22 years in the US Senate. He has worked hard all these years for the people he represented, and he was not called a 'maverick' for nothing as he bucked the Republicans many times. His attitude has always been Country first. He sponsored or cosponsored numerous bills making it past the President's signature, lately including the federal partial birth abortion ban, more penalties for purveyors of obscene and indecent broadcasts; to enhance the FTC enforcement in re cyber spam, spyware, and fraud; and other bi-partisan bills/laws.
McCain has potential programs and ideas that I like: his tax credit for individual medical policies so people can travel and change jobs without changing policies; his desire to reduce the estate tax rate to 15% with a $10 million exemption; his desire to work on increasing World markets with efforts to reduce trade barriers, multilaterally, bilaterally, and regional; to enforce existing global trading rules; he wants continued and increased tax credits for wind, solar, and hydro power; he'd like to offer a $300 million dollar prize [it has to be big enough to warrant large research expenditures and be an incentive] for new battery technology for hybrid vehicles; green building and refitting US Government buildings throughout the World.
He wants to keep the maximum tax rate at 35%; a 15% tax rate for dividends and capital gains; a phasing out of the alternative minimum tax; to reduce the corporate tax rate of 35% to 25%. Our current corporate tax is the second highest in the World, thus leading to corporate shenanigans and reduced World presence; he wants more first year expensing of equipment and investment in technology; he wants a tax credit of 10% of labor costs for R & D. The US needs more research and development to better compete in the modern World.
These things help increase business opportunities and employment. The economy is best fueled by individual success. The American Dream. It is not served well with wealth distribution and high taxes on productivity.
As a small business owner [professional practice] I spent years working with average and wealthy people and businesses dealing with their accounting, investment, payroll and income tax returns, loans and varied business problems. We had to work with the complicated IRS code. I understand how these people will be affected or hurt by the various policies of McCain or Obama. None of my over 500 clients would want this 'socialism.' And I'm just one professional.
And I wish that you Liberals would get off the tired old mantra of Republican tax cuts for the rich. When the Republicans offer tax cuts, they offer them to all taxpayers. The top five percent of earners in the US already pay most of the taxes collected. So naturally, according to simple arithmetic, more of a tax cut goes to the person paying most of the taxes.
The second part of this essay is directly below in another blog post. I had to enter it first so the continuity of the essay wouldn't be damaged.
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